Air drop of supplies to the hamlets during Operation Sunrise (Vietnam War)
OPERATION SUNRISE, 1962
Bombs being droped during Operation
Sunrise
Operation Sunrise was the first phase of a long range counter-offensive against the Viet Cong. It was launched in the Ben Cat region of Binh Duong Province 35 miles from Saigon. It began the Strategic Hamlet resettlement program in which scattered rural populations in South Vietnam were uprooted from their ancestral farmlands and resettled into villages defended by local militias. Over 50 of the hamlets were soon infiltrated and easily taken over by the Viet Cong who killed or intimidated village leaders.
As a result of Operation Sunrise, Diem ordered bombing raids against suspected Viet Cong-controlled hamlets. The air strikes by the south Vietnamese Air Force were supported by U.S. pilots, who also conducted some of the bombings.
The American destroyer, the USS Maddox, set sail for a reconnaissance mission on July31, 1964 heading for the Gulf of Tonkin, On August 2nd it was attacked in international waters by five North Vietnamese patrol boats. The American destroyer defended it self with torpedoes and the ships fled. The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred during the first year of the Johnson administration. In 2005 an internal National Security Agency historical study was declassified and it concluded the the Maddox had engaged the North Vietnamese Army on August 2nd but that there may not have been any North Vietnamese Naval vessels present during the incident of August 4th.
The implication of these attacks led to the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This granted U.S. President Johnson the authority to interfere in the North and South Vietnam struggle. This eventually led to the United States deploying troops and taking part in the controversial Vietnam War. President Johnson went on national television on August 4th to declare the U.S. involvement.
A village that was destroyed in operation free fire zone.
A free-fire zone was an area that had been cleared of all civilians, with any remaining people assumed to be hostile forces. Search and destroy operations gave villagers three choices, (1) Stay close to his land and risk living in a free-fire zone, (2) Join VC (become a target in a free fire zone), (3) Move to an area under the GVN control (become a refugee). “In a free-fire zone; it basically meant that if it moves, it is VC and to kill it. Because of negative coverage and with difficulty in enforcing international laws limiting the imposition of free fire zones, as well as other elements of the rules of engagement, the Pentagon over time added more directies to its pocket cards; a village could not be boombed without warning even if American troops had received fire from within it, although a village known to be Communist could be attacked only if its inhabitants were warned in advance.
Toward the end of the 1960’s, the term free fire zone itself was dropped from the U.S. military lexicon because that doctrine embraced actions that the United States today would regard as illegal.
During the Vietnam War (1954-75) as part of the strategic bombing campaign known as Operation Rolling Thunder, U.S. Military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968. The attacks were intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam’s Communist leaders and reduce their ability to wage war against the U.S. supported government of South Vietnam. Also it was important to help bolster morale of the South Vietnamese. The intentions of this operation at first was to show Ho Chi Minh the United State’s ability to fight, but Operation Rolling Thunder did fail to weaken the enemy’s will after the first several weeks of attacks. Operation Rolling Thunder was the first major American assault on North Vietnamese territory and it also represented our involvement in the Vietnam War. To persuade the North Vietnamese to negotiate, President Johnson restricted the bombing of North Vietnam to the southern part of the country on March 31, 1968, basically bringing Operation Rolling Thunder to an end.
Many POW's after the war took this picture of the prison.
Hoa Lo means “fiery furnace” or even known as “Hell’s hole. The prison was built in Hanoi by the French during 1886 through 1889. The American Pow’s sarcastically referred to the prison as The Hanoi Hilton .During the Vietnam War, the prison was used the North Vietnamese Army to house, torture and interrogate captured servicemen. Most of the POW’s were American pilots who were shot down during bombing raids. The POW’s were tortured to break their will . The reason for the torture was generally not to get military information but their goal was to get written or recorded statements from the prisoners that would criticize the U.S. conduct of the war and praise how the North Vietnamese treated them. After making states, the POWs would admit to each other what had happened to help with the shame or guilt that consumed them for talking. In the end, North Vietnamese torture was so brutal and prolonged that almost every American POW made a statement of some sort at some time. Some of the POWs statement would be viewed as a propaganda victory in the battle to sway would and U.S. domestic opinion against the U.S. war effort.
The Diem coup was one of those critical events in the history of U.S. policy that could have altered out commitment to the war. The U.S. was not really sure if they would support the Diem Coup but after reviewing their options they choose to support the coup because of the importance of Vietnam and we wanted to win this war. After the overthrow, President Diem and his brother were captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam but it did lead to political chaos in the nation. The United States did become more heavily involved in the Vietnam to try and stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the communist rebels that were becoming a more powerful threat. The raids were carefully timed by Nhu to be carried out when the U.S. was without an Ambassador and only after a decree placing the county under military martial law had been issued. One of the important lessons of the American involvement in South Vietnam in support of Diem was that a policy of unreserved commitment to a particular leadership placed us in a weak and manipulable position on important internal issues.
The Tet Offensive was a series of battles in the Vietnam War
Tet Offensive was the Communist attacks on forces that were in South Vietnam’s major cities and towns and it began around the Vietnamese New Year (“Tet”). The attacks went on for several months. The attacks were thought to be a last “throw of the dice” and was designed to jolt the war into a new phase. The offensive ultimately achieved the Communists’ agenda but at a price many of them thought excessive. The leadership decided to concentratea on a few high profile operations that would take place in the public eye rather than fighting the conflict away from major urban centers. This would bolster Northern moral, possibly inspire uprisings in the South and provide the impression and hopefully the reality that the US/ARVN were not winning the war and it was likely to be a long time before they did. In General Tran Van Tra’s memoir’s he admitted that the offensive caused a decline in strength from which Communist forces did not recover for two years. With better planning, the Communists believed the offensive could have brought the war to an end more quickly.
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of 347-504 unarmed citizens in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, and was done by a unit of the United States Army. All of the victims were civilians and most were women, children (including babies) and elderlly people. Many of the victims were raped, beaten, tortured and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Son My village during the Vietnam wsar. While 26 US soldiers were innitially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, only William Calley was convicted of killing 22 villagers. When the incident became public knowledge in 1969, im prompted widespread outrage around the world. The massacre also increased domestic oposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Three US servicemen who made an effort to halt the massacre and protect the wounded were denounced by US Congressmen. It took 30 years before they were honored for their efforts.
One of many mass graves as part of the
My Lai Massacre
The USS Henrico, Union, and Vancourver, carried the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade taking up stations 4,000 yards off Red Beach Two, north of Da Nang. The 3500 Marines were deployed to secure the U.S. airbase, freeing South Vietnamese troops up for combat. March1, Ambassador Taylor had informed South Vietnamese Premier Quat that the United States was preparing to send the Marines to Vietnam. First ashore was the Battalion Landing Team 3/9, the Marines were greeted and welcomed.
A Buddhist who sacrificed himself in protest
of the Vietnam War
The idea of sacrifice is a key in the Buddhist religion. One of the earliest known uses of self-immolation as a protest was against the Vietnam War and it was also one of the most famous protest. On June 16, 1962, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc immolated himself in downtown Saigon. He was actually protesting religious persecution under the Diem regime, not the war.
Jets carrying agent orange and disbursing over the jungles of South Vietnam
Operation Ranch Hand was a part of the Vietnam War lasting from 1962 to 1971. It involved 18 million gallons of defoiate being dropped on South Vietnam. The defoliate was dioxin, also known as agent orange. President Diem of South Vietnman asked the United States to conduct aerial herbicide spraying there. The request by Diem launched a debate in the White House and the State and Defense Departments. On one side were those who viewed herbicides as an economical and efficient means of stripping the Viet Cong jungle of cover and food. Others doubted the effectiveness of these tactics and worriedthat these operations would both alienate friendly Vietnamese and expose the United States to charges of barbarism for waging a form of chemical warfare. President Kennedy approaved the use of herbicides but only as a limited experiment requiring South Vietnamese participation and the mission by mission approval of the United States Embassy.
Air drop of supplies to the hamlets during Operation Sunrise (Vietnam War)
Bombs being droped during Operation
Sunrise
Operation Sunrise was the first phase of a long range counter-offensive against the Viet Cong. It was launched in the Ben Cat region of Binh Duong Province 35 miles from Saigon. It began the Strategic Hamlet resettlement program in which scattered rural populations in South Vietnam were uprooted from their ancestral farmlands and resettled into villages defended by local militias. Over 50 of the hamlets were soon infiltrated and easily taken over by the Viet Cong who killed or intimidated village leaders.
As a result of Operation Sunrise, Diem ordered bombing raids against suspected Viet Cong-controlled hamlets. The air strikes by the south Vietnamese Air Force were supported by U.S. pilots, who also conducted some of the bombings.
http://www.flyarmy.org/panel/battle/62032200.HTM
http:www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1961.html
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident,
The American destroyer, the USS Maddox, set sail for a reconnaissance mission on July31, 1964 heading for the Gulf of Tonkin, On August 2nd it was attacked in international waters by five North Vietnamese patrol boats. The American destroyer defended it self with torpedoes and the ships fled. The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred during the first year of the Johnson administration. In 2005 an internal National Security Agency historical study was declassified and it concluded the the Maddox had engaged the North Vietnamese Army on August 2nd but that there may not have been any North Vietnamese Naval vessels present during the incident of August 4th.
The implication of these attacks led to the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This granted U.S. President Johnson the authority to interfere in the North and South Vietnam struggle. This eventually led to the United States deploying troops and taking part in the controversial Vietnam War.
President Johnson went on national television on August 4th to declare the U.S. involvement.
Two USN F8 Crusader jets from the USS Ticonderoga
www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gulf_of_Tonkin_Incident
www.thenagain.info/WebChron/USA/GulfTonkin.html
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Free Fire Zone
A village that was destroyed in operation free fire zone.A free-fire zone was an area that had been cleared of all civilians, with any remaining people assumed to be hostile forces. Search and destroy operations gave villagers three choices, (1) Stay close to his land and risk living in a free-fire zone, (2) Join VC (become a target in a free fire zone), (3) Move to an area under the GVN control (become a refugee). “In a free-fire zone; it basically meant that if it moves, it is VC and to kill it. Because of negative coverage and with difficulty in enforcing international laws limiting the imposition of free fire zones, as well as other elements of the rules of engagement, the Pentagon over time added more directies to its pocket cards; a village could not be boombed without warning even if American troops had received fire from within it, although a village known to be Communist could be attacked only if its inhabitants were warned in advance.
Toward the end of the 1960’s, the term free fire zone itself was dropped from the U.S. military lexicon because that doctrine embraced actions that the United States today would regard as illegal.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/vietnam2-free-fire-zone.htm
www.crimesofwar.org/thebook/free-fire-zones.html
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Operation Rolling Thunder
During the Vietnam War (1954-75) as part of the strategic bombing campaign known as Operation Rolling Thunder, U.S. Military aircraft attacked targets throughout North Vietnam from March 1965 to October 1968. The attacks were intended to put military pressure on North Vietnam’s Communist leaders and reduce their ability to wage war against the U.S. supported government of South Vietnam. Also it was important to help bolster morale of the South Vietnamese. The intentions of this operation at first was to show Ho Chi Minh the United State’s ability to fight, but Operation Rolling Thunder did fail to weaken the enemy’s will after the first several weeks of attacks. Operation Rolling Thunder was the first major American assault on North Vietnamese territory and it also represented our involvement in the Vietnam War. To persuade the North Vietnamese to negotiate, President Johnson restricted the bombing of North Vietnam to the southern part of the country on March 31, 1968, basically bringing Operation Rolling Thunder to an end.Operation Rolling Thunder Military aircraft
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/rolling_thunder.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/operation-rolling-thunder
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Hoa Lo Prison
Many POW's after the war took this picture of the prison.Hoa Lo means “fiery furnace” or even known as “Hell’s hole. The prison was built in Hanoi by the French during 1886 through 1889. The American Pow’s sarcastically referred to the prison as The Hanoi Hilton .During the Vietnam War, the prison was used the North Vietnamese Army to house, torture and interrogate captured servicemen. Most of the POW’s were American pilots who were shot down during bombing raids. The POW’s were tortured to break their will . The reason for the torture was generally not to get military information but their goal was to get written or recorded statements from the prisoners that would criticize the U.S. conduct of the war and praise how the North Vietnamese treated them. After making states, the POWs would admit to each other what had happened to help with the shame or guilt that consumed them for talking. In the end, North Vietnamese torture was so brutal and prolonged that almost every American POW made a statement of some sort at some time. Some of the POWs statement would be viewed as a propaganda victory in the battle to sway would and U.S. domestic opinion against the U.S. war effort.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/honor/sfeature/sf_prisons.html
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Ngo Dinh Diem
President Ngo Dinh DiemThe Diem coup was one of those critical events in the history of U.S. policy that could have altered out commitment to the war. The U.S. was not really sure if they would support the Diem Coup but after reviewing their options they choose to support the coup because of the importance of Vietnam and we wanted to win this war. After the overthrow, President Diem and his brother were captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam but it did lead to political chaos in the nation. The United States did become more heavily involved in the Vietnam to try and stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the communist rebels that were becoming a more powerful threat. The raids were carefully timed by Nhu to be carried out when the U.S. was without an Ambassador and only after a decree placing the county under military martial law had been issued. One of the important lessons of the American involvement in South Vietnam in support of Diem was that a policy of unreserved commitment to a particular leadership placed us in a weak and manipulable position on important internal issues.
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pen6.htm
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1961.html
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Tet Offensive 1968
The Tet Offensive was a series of battles in the Vietnam WarTet Offensive was the Communist attacks on forces that were in South Vietnam’s major cities and towns and it began around the Vietnamese New Year (“Tet”). The attacks went on for several months. The attacks were thought to be a last “throw of the dice” and was designed to jolt the war into a new phase. The offensive ultimately achieved the Communists’ agenda but at a price many of them thought excessive. The leadership decided to concentratea on a few high profile operations that would take place in the public eye rather than fighting the conflict away from major urban centers. This would bolster Northern moral, possibly inspire uprisings in the South and provide the impression and hopefully the reality that the US/ARVN were not winning the war and it was likely to be a long time before they did.
In General Tran Van Tra’s memoir’s he admitted that the offensive caused a decline in strength from which Communist forces did not recover for two years. With better planning, the Communists believed the offensive could have brought the war to an end more quickly.
http://www.vietnam-war.info/battles/tet_offensive.php
www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1862.html
........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder of 347-504 unarmed citizens in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, and was done by a unit of the United States Army. All of the victims were civilians and most were women, children (including babies) and elderlly people. Many of the victims were raped, beaten, tortured and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Son My village during the Vietnam wsar. While 26 US soldiers were innitially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, only William Calley was convicted of killing 22 villagers. When the incident became public knowledge in 1969, im prompted widespread outrage around the world. The massacre also increased domestic oposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Three US servicemen who made an effort to halt the massacre and protect the wounded were denounced by US Congressmen. It took 30 years before they were honored for their efforts.
One of many mass graves as part of the
My Lai Massacre
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/my_lai.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/my-lai-massacre
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March 8, 1965
The USS Henrico, Union, and Vancourver, carried the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade taking up stations 4,000 yards off Red Beach Two, north of Da Nang. The 3500 Marines were deployed to secure the U.S. airbase, freeing South Vietnamese troops up for combat. March1, Ambassador Taylor had informed South Vietnamese Premier Quat that the United States was preparing to send the Marines to Vietnam. First ashore was the Battalion Landing Team 3/9, the Marines were greeted and welcomed.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-marines-land-at-da-nang
Buddhist Monk Protest
A Buddhist who sacrificed himself in protest
of the Vietnam War
The idea of sacrifice is a key in the Buddhist religion. One of the earliest known uses of self-immolation as a protest was against the Vietnam War and it was also one of the most famous protest. On June 16, 1962, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc immolated himself in downtown Saigon. He was actually protesting religious persecution under the Diem regime, not the war.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/31/newsid_2973000/2973209.stm
www.angelfire.com/nb/protest/viet.html
Operation Ranch Hand
Jets carrying agent orange and disbursing over the jungles of South Vietnam
Operation Ranch Hand was a part of the Vietnam War lasting from 1962 to 1971. It involved 18 million gallons of defoiate being dropped on South Vietnam. The defoliate was dioxin, also known as agent orange. President Diem of South Vietnman asked the United States to conduct aerial herbicide spraying there. The request by Diem launched a debate in the White House and the State and Defense Departments. On one side were those who viewed herbicides as an economical and efficient means of stripping the Viet Cong jungle of cover and food. Others doubted the effectiveness of these tactics and worriedthat these operations would both alienate friendly Vietnamese and expose the United States to charges of barbarism for waging a form of chemical warfare. President Kennedy approaved the use of herbicides but only as a limited experiment requiring South Vietnamese participation and the mission by mission approval of the United States Embassy.
www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/AirOps/**ranch**.html
www.vietnam-war.info/battles/operation_ranch_hand.php